Floral and mineral rather than fruity in character, this wine rides on its silken richness and delicacy. There’s a lot of flavor packed into the sangiovese tannins, with more complexity on offer as those tannins relent in the coming years. Brunello refinement from galestro soils in Castelnuovo delll’Abate.

April 2014

90

LA FIORITA 2007 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO

(Best buy) Focused on rich black cherry flavors, this is a gentle sangiovese with firm tannins that feel open and smooth. Rose petal scents last along with the bitter almond flavor of the tannins. Ready to decant with braised lamb.

Sweet cherry and berry fruit fills the center of this red, with spice, tobacco and bitter almond playing supporting roles. Firmly structured, yet balanced, with a long, spice-filled aftertaste.
Best from 2013 through 2026.

June 2012

95

LA FIORITA Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2006

This red boasts sweet, ripe cherry, raspberry and plum flavours, with tar, spice and licorice in supporting roles.
Vibrant, harmonious and expressive through the lingering aftertaste. Best from 2015 through 2035.

June 2013

94

LA FIORITA Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2007

A round, fruity version, with plenty of bright cherry and raspberry fruit
shaded by rose, graphite, balsamic and tobacco flavors.

July 2014

92

Brunello di Montalcino 2009

This is juicy, packing cherry,raspberry, tobacco and mineral notes into an exuberant frame. Not a big red, but firmly structured, with fine balance, freshness and lenght.

Here’s a plump, ripe and round Brunello with bright berry tones followed by mesquite wood, cedar, pipe tobacco
and leather. All together, this is a full and generous wine with impressive longevity on the palate.
Pair it with pork, lamb or beef.

October 2010

94

LA FIORITA Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2004

La Fiorita riserva shows excellent intensity and generosity with full notes of blackberry, cherry, spice, cigar box and smoke.
The wine is big, thick and succulent and the finish lasts many long, delicious minutes. Very nice.
August 2010

Attractive garnet colour with hints of burnt orange around the edge. Hints of thyme and sage herb add freshness
to the violet scented cassis and dark cherry fruit. A dry palate with plenty of keen acidity and ripe tannins.
Well balanced and some good integration of flavours, the finish is long and full.

Very dark garnet with ruby highlights. Explosive aromas of underbrush, tobacco, tar and black pepper.
A flavor of blackberry fruit mingles with a pungent dose of porcini mushroom and roasted coffee beans.
Lushly textured and dense but also fresh and focused, with full but pliant tannins. Sweet dark berries emerge
on the long finish. A compelling, polished, multidimensional wine, with loads of extract. Stephen Tanzer

Complex characterics of leather, plums, prunes, asian spices, licorice, and dried herbs jump from the glass
of this full-bodied, rich, well-endowed Brunello. Its deep garnet/ruby color is accompanied by impressive sweetness,
moderate levels of ripe tannin, and a long finish. Based on this effort, among the finest Brunellos I have tasted
from this vintage, 1997 promises reasonably forward and accessible wines. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2016”

Issue 147 30-6-02

91

LA FIORITA Brunello di Montalcino 1998

This is Roberto Cipresso’s own small operation near Castelnuovo dell’Abate. The new casks gave the first wines a slightly
oaky personality but the last two vintages have shown excellent balance. The 1998 Brunello di Montalcino, a dark and
solid garnet, boasts a warme, singed nose of plummy fruit, caramel, tar, and some chocolate on the tail end. The flavors,
warmed by the alcohol, are sweet and full, the mineral and leather notes enticing, and the long and intense finish
promise years of life ahead for this stylish, well concentrated wine, until 2012-2014 at a minimum.”